Davis Cup ties can put a player’s patriotism in perspective
Serbian players during a practice session ahead of their Davis Cup World Group Play off tie against India in Bengaluru on Wednesday
Bengaluru: For a sport that thrives on individual talent and flair, Davis Cup is the bond that brings players together. Professional tennis can get very lonely; on the road for long stretches and waking up in different cities week after week on the circuit can be mentally draining, Rankings, points, performance are the bread and butter of a professional player but every time the Davis Cup weekend comes around these factors fade into the background.
Cup ties can get emotional given the nature of the competition and to have someone like Leander Paes in the team, a veteran of 24 years, but still playing with the passion of a youngster, works wonders for the team. The essence of Cup encounters is the camaraderie between the players and the unmatchable feeling of playing in the country’s colours.
Davis Cup ties can put a player’s patriotism in perspective; just to have the entire team on the sidelines pumps up the player, who otherwise just relies on his coach for support on the circuit. Rankings and reputations have seldom mattered in Davis Cup and many a giant has been felled in the intense competition that only the tournament is capable of whipping up.
The presence of a Novak Djokovic or a Janko Tipsarevic would have surely tilted the balance for Serbia here but in their absence, the bunch of youngsters led by Somdev Devvarman an Yuki Bhambri will look to Paes to whip up the feeling of patriotism that only he can.
“Playing Davis Cup with this young team is a great thrill. All the boys are in high spirits, working hard. It is probably the ninth generation of players I have gone through in Davis Cup. In an individual sport like tennis to have a team environment especially, a happy team is a lot of fun,” said Paes ahead of the World Group play-off against former champions Serbia.
Davis Cup is about the strength of your singles players and in the cauldron that it can get, depending on the home or away tie, a few points here and there can get very crucial.
Somdev hit the nail on the head when he said: “when we make eye contact they know what I’m looking for. A little bit of help. That comes from the fact that we are around each other quite a bit.In the individual sport that they pursue, Davis Cup is the bond that they thrive on.
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